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Baby, Books, Geek, Giveaways, Parenting, Reviews

“My Little Geek” ABC Book — Review and Giveaway!

Mar 21. 2012

Ed note: When this post was published earlier today, it somehow published a version without the Rafflecopter widget and instructions on how to enter the giveaway. 🙁  I have no idea what happened, and I apologize for the mistake. Here is the correct version.

Your kids will be smart enough to know that A is for apple and Z is for zebra…why not broaden their horizons a little? And while you’re at it, why not add a geeky twist?

My Little Geek will allow you to do just that. This kid-friendly board book will certainly help adult geeks teach the ways of geekdom to their little ones, from “Android to Zombies.” Written by Andrew & Sarah Spear, and illustrated by Edit Sliacka, My Little Geek is full of wonderfully adorable pictures and nerdy concepts that is sure to expose your children to the amazing world of geeks.

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Geek in Heels
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Parenting, Personal, Relationships

Stay-In Date Nights

Mar 19. 2012

A couple of months ago, I was making conversation with a nice, elderly lady at church. And typical of mothers who do not know each other well, we defaulted to the topic of our children.

“Just thirteen months apart? That must be tough!” she exclaimed when I told her about Claire and Aerin.

“Yes, but everyone tells me that these first couple of years will be tough, but that it will be soooo worth it after that,” I replied. “How about you? How many children do you have?”

“Four. And they were all born right after the other, which was not uncommon back in those days. At one point, we had four under five!”

My eyes bulged out from their sockets. And here I was, thinking I had it rough!

“Any tips for a new mother?” I asked.

“Just take it one day at a time. But other than that, I’m afraid I don’t have much advice. Those early years were so hard that I seemed to have blocked a big chunk of it from my memory.”

I nodded understandably. My mother too, has trouble recalling the most difficult parts of her life. She calls it biological amnesia.

“Oh! But I do like to offer up a piece of advice to all married couples!” the lady continued. “Always put your marriage first, because without it, your kids wouldn’t even exist. Take periodic breaks from your children and just enjoy each other. Be sure to have regular date nights.”

“My husband and I used to have monthly date nights. But now, even that is difficult…” I responded.

“No, that’s not good enough. In the forty years of our marriage, my husband and I had date nights every Friday night. And we’ve only missed it six times.“

And that’s when my jaw dropped.

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Geek in Heels
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Aerin, Claire, Parenting, Personal

1 to 2 Transition: Things We’re Doing Differently

Mar 14. 2012

Having a second child is not just twice the work. For me, and other mothers of multiple children I have spoken to, two children are triple, sometimes even quadruple the work of one kid!

With my in-laws having returned to Hong Kong, I am finally on my own in being the caretaker of a 4-month-old and a 17-month-old. Things are actually better than I had feared, but at the same time, I am completely drained by the end of each day and I tell all my friends to wait at least 2 years to have a second child if they could help it.

(For those who are wondering if we decided to get help with the kids, we want to see first if I could handle it by myself, with some help from my parents and my sister. Child care is so expensive these days and I would rather tough it out for these first few years so that we can save money for the kids’ education, starting with a good preschool for Claire which is only a year away!)

There are some things that come as a no-brainer when transitioning from one child to two. But every situation is different, and in ours, these are the changes we have made, or found ourselves making, to make our lives a bit easier.

1. Run the dishwasher.

Believe it or not, we used to barely use the dishwasher because of my OCD tendencies. This habit continued even after Claire was born, but now that time is even more limited and the extra 20 minutes washing the dishes by hand could honestly could be spent doing other things (even just sprawled out on the couch, zoning out in front of the TV), I have given in and decided that the machine will have to do.

We still wash all the baby bottles by hand, though. I haven’t quite let go on this front. 😉

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Geek in Heels
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Motherhood, Parenting, Personal

That Bastard Second Wind…

Mar 12. 2012

Any idiot can tell you that being a parent is tiring. Sometimes, I am so drained by the end of the day that every bone in my body seems to ache, every muscle sore, and I actually feel nauseous from the physical exhaustion. And at these moments, all that gets me through the next minute and all subsequent units of ever-stretching time is knowing that soon, I will be able to rest my wearied body. But once both kids are fed, bathed, and down for the night...

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Baby, Christianity, Motherhood, Parenting, Personal, Reverent Sundays

Reverent Sundays: Child-Like Innocence?

Mar 04. 2012

Welcome to today’s installment of Reverent Sundays, where I write about an aspect of my faith. This can deal with recent books I have read on Christianity, my thoughts on religion and current issues, as well as particular messages I find touching and/or powerful. I am aware that most of my readers are not religious, and that is fine — you are more than welcome to not read these posts if they make you uncomfortable, enrage you, or bore you to tears. I am open to debates and discussions in the comments section as long as everyone remains respectful. Enjoy! I love my children. I am amazed whenever I gaze upon their faces. I take delight in their happiness. And as I...

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Geek in Heels
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